My latest internal blog, also fit for public consumption:

Hands on the N810

Thanks to the generosity of a colleague I have been able to enjoy playing around with an N810. In many ways I am extremely pleased. Some of the improvements are evolutionary, as one would expect in the third of its generation, and a couple are dramatic.

In my last article on the topic I praised the promise of the device. As I said then, this time I'll do a little more in-depth analysis, which means acknowledging the nice aspects but also pointing out areas for further improvements. I'll focus on hardware today. Disclaimer: this review is based on a preproduction unit and may not be wholly indicative of final products.

First the general form factor. I love it! I believe the design team has achieved the proper size here. Moving the stereo speakers to the back top corners, relocating the d-pad and other changes enabled them to shorten the device length and streamline the face. Along the latter lines, the Menu, Home and Escape/Undo buttons have been incorporated into the left edge of the body itself, resulting in a very low-profile solution that looks great and feels solid. The weight is slightly greater than the N800 but, surprisingly, doesn't feel so to me and in fact one colleague thought it was lighter! Probably perception due to the reduced size.

One of the more helpful additions has been the inclusion of a GPS unit. I tested it while driving home yesterday and was generally pleased with the performance. It definitely draws a lot of power so you'll want to keep it on a charger while using. I'll try to do a more thorough analysis of the out-of-the-box usability in the future.

But the most obvious development has been the incorporation of a slide-out hardware keyboard. Push up on the face of the device and you are presented with this new feature, which exposes helpful backlighting in low-light situations. The slide is firm but not overly so, and the keyboard clicks into place. The d-pad has been moved to the left side of the keyboard, which has aroused complaints from a few potential customers but in my use so far this has not been an issue at all; I don't miss the d-pad when the keyboard is retracted and I appreciate how its relocation "cleans up" the tablet's face.

Speaking of the face, the webcam has been moved there, too, now residing in the upper left corner. This means no more hardware activation (as is the case when the N800's cylindrical webcam is popped out) and no rotation. However, a benefit is that there is now no left-side protrusion as well as fewer pieces of hardware to wear out.

Now on to miscellaneous aspects. The stylus and top buttons have regressed to something close to the 770's. For the most part I believe this is a good idea and like how the stylus integrates into the tablet's rounded upper right corner. It feels very secure when in place. On the opposite corner is a status LED, the one that used to be incorporated into the d-pad. Below that and just above the camera is an ambient light sensor that influences touchscreen backlighting levels as well as the aforementioned keyboard backlighting. The back cover is a thin metal shield that opens from the bottom now. Location of the charge, headset and USB ports is unchanged. A final, noteworthy recognition: the LCD screen is easier to read outdoors than it was on previous models.

With all that addressed, it's time to get into the constructive criticism.

First, the keyboard. I only have two issues, and the first is one that's been brought up previously by third-party reviewers in regards to some of our slider phones, such as the N80: there is too little clearance between the lower edge of the device and the top row of keys. I feel the device would benefit from another 5 millimeters or so of additional room there. Sloping the edge would help as well. I find that the keyboard works best for me when using my thumbs, and that gets awkward on the top row. The other keyboard issue is the pressure required to press the keys. On one hand I like how solid they feel; on the other, I wish they responded to a lighter touch. A dedicated Tab key would have been very, very welcome, too... especially for web form navigation

Second, while I do like the return to the 770-style zoom and other buttons, I think they would be better on the face edge than the keyboard (back) edge. They are a little hard to reach when the keyboard is out.

A minor gripe involves the battery cover lock. It's not too difficult to push to the open position, but I struggled with locking it. I think the switch should have ridges or some other physical feature that made it easier to "grab". And while we're in the area, I would have preferred a touch plastic cover such as the N800 has, only with the "soft touch" rubber-like coating popular on many consumer devices. The blued stainless steel is certainly pretty, but in my opinion not as practical.

Another petty complaint of mine is that the stylus now looks cheap. However, maybe I was just spoiled by the classy N800 stylus.

Finally, while the LCD screen does look better outdoors, indoors it is too reflective for me. I find that there is a very narrow tilting range for avoiding reflections, especially my own. Highly distracting.

Other observers have complained about the webcam now only facing forward, making photos of anything but the user impractical. I would have preferred a central, rotating webcam at the top of the device but I don't see this one as a showstopper. Additional negative comments focus on the changes to the memory card (no more internal card, MiniSD is new format for external slot) but that's not as important to me. I only wish that, if the format had to be reduced (and I can understand that), the program had gone all the way to MicroSD instead. Personally, my philosophy going forward is to buy MicroSD cards as well as the adapters required to get them into Mini and Full-size slots. This will not, however, help those with legacy SD cards who want to simply swap between multiple devices.

As I remarked in the previous N810 article, I personally see this as more of an Eseries than Nseries device. That's what the new look and keyboard say to me. In fact, I'm hoping to get this tablet up to the same speed as my trusty N800, using it for Nokia email, Sametime and other intranet functions. I will be testing the (corporate) VPN tool soon and will report on that experience.

Ending on a positive note, I'll recap by saying that overall I am pleased and impressed. The N810 demonstrates that the platform has promise and that, at least so far, it has garnered the proper support from the company. I was told that the N810 represents step 3 of a 5-step process, and if that bears out, I can't wait to see how step 5 manifests!